Limestone Fragment of a False Door

Culture: Egyptian

Period: Old Kingdom, 5th or 6th Dynasty, 2504-22216 B.C.

Material: Limestone

Dimensions: 17.8 cm x 30 cm

Price: 6 000 Euro

Ref: 1330

Provenance: Exported from Egypt prior to 1937. Thence private collection Joseph Altounian (1890-1954). Tajan Auction Paris on 13 November 2001, lot 38. Accompanied by a French antiquities passport.

Condition: The surface with some wear as seen on the photo.

Description: Limestone fragment of a false door with a crossbar and a semi-cylindrical drum inscribed with recessed hieroglyphs. The inscription mentions the owner with the name Seshemnefer. False doors are part of the funerary architecture, they served as a bridge between this life and the afterlife. On the one hand the deceased could interact through this “door” with the posterity, on the other hand his surviving dependents can get in contact with him and present offerings in front thereof. According to reports this fragment comes from from the area around Saqqara. Mounted.